This invention relates to flareholders that are used in emergency situations such as at helicopter landing sites or accident scenes. Combustible flares are important signaling means that are used at the scene of an accident or at air vehicle landing sites. Some conventional flares may have a built in spike or nail at one end which is driven into the ground to serve as a support for the flare. Other conventional flares may not have a built-in holder and can be held by the user or supported by a flareholder.
Various flareholders have been suggested to solve problems generated by the spike flare or the holderless flare. The spike flare cannot be inserted into a concrete or asphalt roadway and needs some other kind of support. U.S. Pat. No. 3,905,324 (the "'324 patent") describes a flareholder apparatus capable of receiving and supporting the spike. However, the flareholder of '324 patent is adapted to only the spike flare and is susceptible to sliding on slippery surfaces or on moving or tilting surfaces such as those present on a boat. Furthermore, the '324 flareholder is a bulky device and if more than one flare location is desired and more than one flareholder is needed, multiple flareholders would take up an appreciable amount of storage space before use.
Unsupported flares without built-in holders also can present problems. If the flare is laid down on the ground, its visibility may be compromised, a fire could start, or the surface of the ground could be damaged. It may not be practical for the flare to be held by a person for any length of time due to heat from the flare or fatigue. Various flareholders have been suggested for holderless flares such as U.S. Pat. No. 4,148,259 (the "'258 patent"), which describes a road flareholder. However, the '258 flareholder presents numerous shortcomings. For example, more than one '258 flareholder does not store in a compact space. The '258 flareholder also may tip over or slide in a windy and/or slippery environment. Furthermore, although one embodiment is comprised of a bottom to prevent a flare from sliding through, the flareholder would be difficult to clean once the flare had been used up. In the embodiment without the bottom, the flare may slide through if the entire holder apparatus was lifted off the ground or if the apparatus was placed on uneven or rocky terrain.
The instant invention is designed for emergency operations and solves all the aforementioned problems, among others. Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide a flare base that will not slide under adverse conditions.
Another object of this invention is to provide a means for storing flare bases in a minimum of space.
Yet another object of this invention is to provide a means for preventing a flare from falling through the flareholder while remaining easy to clean once the flare is spent.
A further object of the invention is to provide a means for reducing the amount of ash that drops off a burning flare from coming in contact with the ground.
A still further object of the invention is to provide a means for preventing a flare or flareholder from tipping over in high winds.
Other objects and advantages of this invention will be appreciated by those skilled in the art by reference to the following specification and accompanying drawings.